In recent years, the number, type, and size of portable computers or other devices has risen astronomically, both for public use and business use. One thing that all of these devices have in common is a battery that needs to be charged periodically. For a single device, typically, a “wall wart” provides charging power through a connector on the device such as a micro-USB connector or a proprietary connector. This works well for a very small number of devices, but there is often a need for many different devices. For example, in some homes, each family member has a smart phone, a music player, and a tablet computer. Given a family of two adults and three children, this adds up to fifteen devices that at some time or another require charging. If there were sufficient outlets for that many “wall warts” in a kitchen, the clutter, potential for damage, and confusion cause problems in a typical family.
For businesses, often a fleet of devices are available for use, each needing to be charged and/or connected to a computer for data updates, etc. One such scenario is the use of tablet computers in a restaurant, allowing patrons to see the menu and images of the food items, and to place orders, review their bill, etc. In such, there are often tens of tablet computers in an establishment that need to be charged at one time. One might imagine a stack of tablet computers connected to an army of “wall warts,” each “wall wart” plugged into an outlet on any of several power strips. Such stacking leads to breaking of the tablet computers, scratching of the displays or plastics, tangled power cables, and a virtual mess. It should be noted that, although good design practices usually include added structural strength around the connectors, it is almost impossible to design a flawless connector on a portable device because of the leverage force that occurs when a small force is exerted on a plug that is inserted in that connector.
What is needed is a system that will methodologically hold and charge several devices, and optionally communicate with the devices while charging.